My Dear
by Refreshingly Original
Summary: Laughing softly, Faragonda brought her hand up to gently caress her cheek, "Because I care about you my dear, I thought that was obvious." - A series of one-shots that follow along after the Thank You series.
1. Chapter 1

**Waterfall**

* * *

Bloom stood in the middle of the courtyard with a half-hearted smile as she watched her now ex boy-friend walk out of the winged gates. While she was happy for Sky and Riven, she couldn't stop herself from feeling sad. He got the one he loved, and she got nothing.

Sighing, she turned around and walked over to the fountain. Sitting down, she stared at the water's surface, watching the few clouds glide across the sky. Looking up at the real thing, she sighed and swung her legs up on the edge, leaning back until she was lying down completely. Still watching the clouds, she lost herself in her thoughts of the deal she'd made with Sky the moment she realised he wasn't into her.

It had been on their second date that she realised that he wasn't really into her, but rather the brooding purple haired man he hung out with. She wasn't one for being used, so she'd pulled him aside, to the many scathing comments of Riven, and demanded an explanation. It turned out that Sky had yet to come out and was afraid of the rumours that would be spread if he didn't date someone. He'd apologised and asked to be friends. Of course she'd agreed and they went on their way, joining the group once more. After that incident, Bloom watched the two boys closely and quickly came to the conclusion that Sky's feelings were not one sided and said as much to the blond. It took some convincing g, but eventually Sky asked him out and they'd been dating in secret for the last three years. To keep people from being suspicious, Bloom offered to be Sky's cover when it came to events that required a date. It soon became common knowledge that Bloom was 'dating' the future King of Araklion.

But now it was over, Sky had spoken to his parents and him and Riven were happy. There was no more hiding for them. Bloom only wished she could feel that happiness as well.

"Oh well," she sighed, "I'll live."

Suddenly feeling drained, Bloom closed her eyes, enjoying the soft sound of the fountain beside her. Before she knew it, she was fast asleep, dreaming of pale hands and dark blue eyes behind glasses.

Across the court, Faragonda walked around, greeting and smiling at the students that acknowledged her presence. _'It's a lovely day for a walk,'_ She thought as she watched a group of girls giggle and nod enthusiastically at something. She smiled at them and continued on her way, not concerned when one of them waved her hand. She trusted her girls to not use magic irrationally.

She barely made it five steps before she heard the loud splash and startled yelp. Spinning around, she saw the last of flame red hair slip into the water of the fountain. She heard the group of girls laugh as she ran to the floundering girl. On some level she knew Bloom was fine, the fountain wasn't that deep, but the rest of her was beyond worried.

Skidding to a stop, she reached over and grasped the girls hands. Holding them as she stepped out of the fountain, she rubbed soothing circles on her back as the red head coughed up small amounts of water. When she finally stopped, Faragonda gently guided her to sit down on the edge once more.

"Are you okay my dear?"

Smiling weakly, Bloom nodded, "I must have rolled in while sleeping." She said wiping the strands of hair from her face.

Shaking her head, Faragonda inches closer to the girl, "I don't think so dear," She said softly, "I believe you were the victim of a vicious prank." She shot a glare over her students head at the giggling girls. She'd deal with them later, but for now she would take care of the laughing red head.

"I survive the Trix for three years and it's a fairy prank that almost does me in." Bloom chuckled, shaking her head.

Even though she smiled at the irony, Faragonda shook her head once more, "I will punish the ones responsible dear, don't worry about that."

Nodding, Bloom tried to smile back, only for her teeth to start chattering as her body finally registered how cold it was. As her body started shaking, she up at the older woman beside her.

Summoning a towel, Faragonda wrapped it around the shivering girls shoulders, "Come on, let's get you inside and warmed up." She said, standing up.

Following suit, Bloom stood, holding the thick material tightly.

Wrapping her arm around the red heads shoulders, Faragonda guided her inside, "How about we have some tea in my rooms while you dry off?"

"With honey?"

Chuckling, the Headmistress nodded, "With honey."


	2. Chapter 2

**My Treat**

* * *

Walking around Magix was one of the few things Bloom enjoyed doing by herself. Since joining Alfea, every time she'd gone somewhere, she was joined by the girls, even when she asked to be alone, Stella would tag along to go shopping for 'stress relief'. Thankfully she'd managed to avoid all that by going down to breakfast early, so she'd been able to leave before the other girls had made their way to the hall. Some days she just wanted to be alone with her thoughts.

"Though going to the mall to be alone is logical." Bloom said softly, looking around at all the people around her, going about their business.

She loved watching people, seeing how they interacted with others, or when they thought no one was looking. She found it comforting. For as long as she could remember, she'd done it.

"Probably because before coming here I had no one." She sighed, "Sometimes I miss the quiet."

"You and I both, my dear." A familiar soft voice said from behind her, "Is that why you are here?"

Turning around, Bloom offered a small smile to the woman she had come to greatly care for, "Headmistress, I didn't see you there."

"Ahh, but I saw you." The white haired fairy chuckled.

Once more smiling, Bloom turned back to face the crowd, whispering almost to herself, "That you did."

Stepping up beside where the red had stopped, the older woman dropped her hands, her right one brushing against Blooms. Forcing herself not to respond to the light touch, Faragonda looked around them, taking in all the busy people rushing from one store to the next.

"You must admit my dear; the mall is an unusual place to come to for peace and quiet."

"No one bothers you if you don't bother them, so pretty quickly everything just gets tuned out." Bloom explained, tilting her head slightly as a crying child was pushed passed them in a stroller, "Some faster than others, of course."

Smiling at the deadpanned expression, Faragonda turned to look at the girl, "Am I bothering you?"

Turning to face the Headmistress, Bloom looked her over slowly before turning back to face the crowed, "No."

Blinking in surprise at the sincerity she heard in the one word answer, the white haired fairy simply nodded her head and turned back to watch the crowd as well. For a while the pair stood together, watching as the people milled about, turning away to pull faces as another crying child walked passed them. But eventually Faragonda became aware of the small frown that creased Blooms forehead.

"Is everything alright Bloom?" She asked, turning her full attention on the girl.

Nodding, Bloom pushed back her bangs, "I'm just starting to feel hungry, I only managed to grab a small plate before leaving Alfea."

"Oh!" The older woman cried, "Why didn't you say so dear? We could have sat down for something to eat!"

Stuffing her hands into her back pockets, Bloom shrugged, "I was fine."

"Nonsense, we'll sit down and eat." The Headmistress declared, looping her arm with Blooms', "I myself haven't eaten since dinner last night, so this will do me some good as well." She smiled down at the red head, "I too skipped breakfast so I could come here from some peace and quiet."

Smiling back up at the woman, Bloom lead the way to the small eating area, only to stop when they passed a large window showcasing new blouses and skirts. Turning to look at them, Bloom almost let go of the older woman, only to grip her arm tightly when her eyes fell on the soft gold blouse in the corner.

"Bloom?"

Without answering, Bloom took hold of her hand and pulled her into the shop. Coming to the front desk, she smiled politely and pointed to the top in the window, "We'd like to try that one on please."

Nodding, the young blonde disappeared to find the gold top, leaving the happy red head and confused Headmistress.

"Bloom? What's going on?"

Turning around, Bloom offered the slightly taller woman a wide smile, but didn't get to answer as the woman came back with the shirt draped over her arm.

"Here we are," She said, her voice cheerful as she handed the blouse to Bloom, "The shirt will adjust to fit you and the changing room is just over there."

Nodding Bloom gave a quick thank you before once more pulling the older woman along behind her.

"We aren't going to eat until you try this on." She ordered, stopping in front of the cubicle.

Eyeing the admittedly soft looking fabric being held out to her, Faragonda thought about her options before tossing them all out. She couldn't deny the want to do as she was ordered and parade around in the clothes Bloom picked for her, but she didn't need to know that. So with a soft sigh, she took the top and stepped inside, changing her plain white top for the gold one. When she came out, it was with a small amount of trepidation; for the top she now wore showed far more skin then she usually allowed. But the moment she saw the wide smile on the young woman's face, she knew she wouldn't be leaving the shop without it.

"I take it you like it." She said, her voice lilting teasingly.

"Of course," Bloom cheered, "I knew you'd look amazing in it."

Chuckling, Faragonda turned around, eyeing herself in the full length mirror. While the soft gold didn't go that well with her pale blue skirt, she knew it would match the dark purple one she had in her closet. The only thing that really bothered her was the plunging neckline, it wasn't exactly appropriate for school. But a quick glance behind her pushed that thought away.

"I'll get it." She said, stepping back into the small room, "And then we can eat."

Barely a minute later, Faragonda was searching through the small wallet she carried with her for the last few dollars she needed to pay for the blouse.

"Here," Bloom said softly, holding out the thin card for the blonde woman to take, "I got this."

"Oh no dear, you don't have to do that!" The taller woman argued, gently laying her hand on the younger ones arm, stopping her from handing over the card, "I can come back later with the correct money, there's no need for you to waste yours on me."

Shaking her head, Bloom smiled, "There may be no need to, but I would like to." Tilting her head, she looked up at the Headmistress through her bangs, "Think of it as a thank you, for fishing me out of the fountain last week."

Still hesitating at allowing the young woman to pay for the blouse she wished to buy, Faragonda nibbled on her bottom lip.

Smiling at the adorable look, Bloom gently patted the hand still on her arm, "Please."

Finally nodding, Faragonda stepped back, allowing the red head to hand over the card for her new blouse. After taking the bag from the young woman behind the counter, Faragonda gently steered Bloom out of the shop with a soft hand on her back. Once they were outside and away from the prying eyes of the blonde, she stepped in front of her, moving her hand from where it rested on her waist to cup her cheek.

"Thank you," Faragonda leant forward, gently pressing her bare lips to the corner of Blooms mouth, whispering, "My dear."


	3. Chapter 3

**Counting Stars**

* * *

Rolling the blanket up, Bloom stuck it in her rucksack before closing it tightly. Shouldering the worn pack, she left the room she shared with Flora, then the dorm room. Walking down the hallways, she hummed a soft tune under her breath to keep herself distracted from her thoughts of her Headmistress. After her return from being a tree and the day they'd spent together, where they spent most of the day and night wrapped around each other, Bloom was finding it harder to keep her distance from the woman. Anytime she was in the same room with her, she found herself gravitating towards her. Since the shirt incident a few weeks ago, she'd had to concentrate on not going over to her and snogging her senseless; it was becoming tiresome. She was rather glad that the other girls were away for the holidays, the peace and quiet was a nice change.

Sighing, she pushed open the main doors of the entrance hall and stepped outside, heading towards the small clearing in the forest she's found during her first year. Just as she was about to clear the gates, Bloom found her feet stuck, keeping her from leaving the grounds. Groaning, she dropped her head back, "Damn it."

She'd forgotten all about the protection spell to keep the students from sneaking out at night.

Shaking her head, she sighed, readying herself for when one of the teachers came out to see what had tripped the security spell. God she hoped it wasn't Palladium, he'd leave her there all night and laugh at her in the morning when the spell would finally release her. If it was Griselda or DuFour, then maybe she'd be able to go out; she knew DuFour would join her if it was her, but Griselda would walk her back to her room to make sure she made it there. _'Good ol' Griselda_.' Bloom thought, remembering the times she'd stayed with her in the clearing just a few months before.

But she knew, she knew the moment the gates in front of her glowed pale green that it was the one person she'd should have wished not to see.

"Good evening Headmistress," Bloom tried speaking as cheerfully as she could, only for it to sound flat to her own ears.

"And you, Bloom." Faragonda said as she floated around in front of her, "And where are you off to this fine evening dear?"

Looking up at the smiling woman, Bloom answered in the same strained tone as before, "To the clearing."

"Oh?" The white haired headmistress asked, her smile turning to a teasing smirk, "A late night rendezvous with one of the boys?"

As she spoke, Bloom looked down at her feet, trying to lift them from the ground with little success, "Is there any chance you can reverse the spell Ms Faragonda?" She asked, glancing up at her once more.

For a second the floating woman hesitated, but then smiled kindly and waved her hand, the soles of Blooms favourite boots glowing in the night, "There you are dear."

Smiling, Bloom tipped her head in thanks as she lifted her feet just to make sure.

"Bloom."

"Hmm?" Humming, Bloom looked up once more.

"You didn't answer my question, my dear."

Frowning, the red head readjusted the straps of her bag, "What question?"

"Are you meeting with anyone?" She asked, elegantly lowering herself to stand just in front of her student, "I am sorry to say if you are, I cannot let you out of the grounds."

To Bloom, who was finally paying full attention to the older woman for the first time on days, it sounded very much like she was anything but sorry. Tilting her head slightly in thought, Bloom eyed the Headmistress before answering as if she hadn't paused, "No, I am going alone, not many people want to lie with me for hours on end doing nothing."

"If you're doing nothing," Faragonda said, confusion colouring her tone, "Then why are you out so late?"

Smiling sweetly, Bloom rocked back on her heels, "Why don't you join me and find out."

Huffing lightly in amusement, Faragonda carefully stepped closer, a slight smirk turning up the corner of her mouth, "Or," she drawled, "You could just tell me."

"Or you could join me." Bloom said softly as she brushed passed the older woman on her way out the gate.

Shaking her head, Faragonda chuckled as she turned to catch up with the girl. Coming to her side, she spoke, "Or I could join you."

Laughing, Bloom glanced at her, smiling widely, "I knew you'd see it my way."

Looking back with a sharp smile of her own, the Headmistress arched her brow, "How could I not? You're very persuasive."

"Indeed I am," Bloom said, pushing away the low hanging branch to allow them to walk into the clearing, "Tonight, you'll be counting the stars not your money." She said softly, tilting her head back to stare up at the star filled sky. "Isn't it beautiful?"

"It certainly is." Whispered Faragonda, starring wistfully at Bloom.

Looking at the woman beside her, Blooms cheeks flushed at the open stare. Turning away, she shrugged off her pack and pulled out the blanket, unrolling it in front of her. Dropping the bag at the corner of the red blanket, she turned back to the powerful woman she cared for.

"Join me?" She asked, holding out her hand.

Smiling, Faragonda placed her hand in Blooms and stepped onto the blanket, "I would love to my dear."


	4. Chapter 4

**Shifting Perception**

* * *

As Bloom walked down the hallway to the main hall between her two friends Flora and Tecna, she thought back to the moment she woke up and wished she'd just rolled over and went back to sleep. It was just as she decided to turn tail and run back to her room that they reached the entrance. Dropping her head, she slunk inside after her friends, following them up to the head table where all the teachers sat eating breakfast.

Oh how she wished she wasn't in this situation.

When the girls stopped, she hesitated before continuing forward.

Oh how she _really_ wished she wasn't in this situation.

* * *

Sitting at the centre of the head table, Headmistress Faragonda smiled politely at the girls gathered in front of her, though she did notice that they were one short in their numbers.

"Good morning girls." She greeted them, looking over the rims of her half-moon glasses.

Flora, ever the polite one, smiled back and returned the greeting, "Good morning Ms Faragonda, we're sorry to interrupt your breakfast, but we have a problem."

Frowning, Faragonda looked at each of the girls, "What's wrong?" As she spoke, the older woman felt something soft brush up against her leg. Pulling away from the table, she looked down, her eyes widening as she looked at the bright orange cat sitting by her foot.

"It's Bloom," Tecna said, "She's been turned into a cat."

"Bloom?" She asked carefully, staring into the sad blue eyes looking back up at her.

Bloom stared up at the older fairy, letting out a pitiful meow in response.

"Oh Bloom." The Headmistress sighed, smiling sadly, "You do find yourself in some situations, don't you."

* * *

Half an hour later, Faragonda was sitting behind her desk, listening patiently to Flora telling her what had happened that morning. Sitting in the flower fairy's lap was Bloom, her bushy tail wrapped securely around her legs, starring at the Headmistress.

"It was just as we came out to meet the others that she changed." Flora explained, gently running her hand through Blooms soft fur.

"So it was a delayed transformation."

"By at least fourteen point six minutes Headmistress." Tecna supplied, "That is the usual amount of time it takes for Bloom to leave her room upon waking."

"You don't think it was the Trix?" Stella asked, frowning at the thought of the tree witches they'd continuously fought over the years.

Faragonda shook her head, "No Miss Stella, I don't believe it was the Trix." She sighed, "I believe this is a prank."

Standing leaning against the wall, Layla snorted, "That's a horrible prank."

Flora nodded, looking down at the quiet girl, "But you make a beautiful cat Bloom." She said in her usual soothing tone.

Meowing up at her friend, Bloom tilted her head into her hand, purring softly at the light scratching.

Looking back up at the Headmistress, Flora spoke again, "What are we to do Headmistress?"

Linking her fingers together, Faragonda looked down at Bloom, considering everything that they could do. Taking a deep breath, she leant forward, resting her elbows on her desk, "We're going to have to wait for it to wear off. Without knowing how the transformation was forced upon Bloom, we won't be able to change her back."

The girls all shared looks, but again it was Flora who spoke up, "We can't take Bloom to class Ms Faragonda, it wouldn't be safe."

Seeing the obvious care for the red head each girl showed, the fairy-witch hybrid smiled, "You're right, we can't have her in class, nor can we leave her by herself." At this, Bloom let out a loud, rumbling meow as if to say she was still there.

"I'm sorry Bloom, but we must keep you safe, and letting you go to class like this would be wilfully ignorant." Faragonda explained softly.

At that, Bloom slumped, her head hanging low.

"But if we can't take her to class or leave her alone, where's B gonna stay?" Musa asked, speaking up for the first time since they'd entered the large office.

Looking from the musical fairy, the Headmistress turned to Bloom, "If you're not against it Bloom, you can stay with me until classes have ended for the day."

Although her outward appearance was calm, the curvy woman felt her hands begin to sweat as she anxiously waited for Bloom to respond. When she purred, the older woman couldn't stop the soft sigh of relief from falling from her lips. From the slight tilt of her head, she knew that Bloom had heard it. Glancing around, she was glad to see none of the other girls had seemed to notice. Something she was very grateful for.

"Well then girls," She said cheerfully, settling back once more, "You had best be on your way, I do believe you have Griselda first thing this morning."

The girls all bid the Headmistress and Bloom goodbye and left with Stella and Musa groaning at the thought of having the stern woman straight up. Looking down at Bloom, who now sat on the corner of the desk, Faragonda smiled, "Well now dear, what to do with you."

Bloom blinked a couple of times, tilting g her head slightly as if to say, _'Really?'_ Before curling up and closing her eyes.

Watching her for a few moments, the fairy-witch hybrid smiled as the long fluffy tail twitched in annoyance. Faragonda took that as a sign the young fairy was telling her to get to work, so that's what she did.

* * *

Sometime later, she wasn't sure how much later, Faragonda was drawn from her work by the rhythmic thumping coming from just off to her right. Looking towards the sound, she was surprised to see Bloom sitting up, staring at her, her tail hitting the desk repeatedly. When the red head noticed that she was being watched in return, she curled her tail around the front of her paws.

"What can I do for you Bloom?" The smiling woman asked, reaching out to gently scratch behind the perked ears.

Letting out a soft rumbling meow, Bloom stood up and paced over to the side of the desk where she sat back down beside the clock.

Frowning, Faragonda looked from the girl-turned-cat to the clock, reading the time with wide eyes. Lunch had gone and passed. "Oh!" She gasped, looking back at Bloom, "I'm so sorry! You must be hungry."

Faragonda had never seen a cat sigh before, but she was sure that was what Bloom had just done. "Are you...thirsty?" She asked, unsure of what Bloom was trying to tell her.

Giving an annoyed growl, Bloom padded forward and jumped into the older woman's lap, surprising her. Looking up at her, she tilted her head to the side at the wide eyed look.

Licking her lips, Faragonda sat back, "Bloom, you should know," She pursed her lips, as if to keep herself from talking, "I'm allergic to cats."

Staring up at her, Bloom watched as the older woman swallowed nervously. Dropping her head, she gave it a quick shake before carefully stepping forward and pressing the top of her head against the older woman's stomach and meowing. When she felt the gentle touch to the back of her neck, she sat back, looking into the dark blue eyes above her.

"You want me to eat." Faragonda spoke, delicately running the tips of her fingers along the arched spine.

Bloom meowed softly in confirmation.

"Very well then," She sighed dramatically, pushing herself up from her seat, "I suppose I can take a break."

Cocking her head, Bloom gave the Headmistress a blank stare, well, as blank as a cat could. Blushing pink under the stare, Faragonda averted eyes and made her way around her desk, heading towards the door. She was going to use this break to stretch her legs and walk to the kitchen. Behind her, Bloom trotted after her, curious as to where the older fairy was heading. Together they walked the halls with Faragonda greeting the students they passed with a small smile and the teachers with a nod and a quick word; usually about Blooms transformation or if there was any change.

By the time they'd made it into the kitchen and situated themselves with some lunch, the last stragglers had gone to class and the halls were silent once more, leaving the two females alone with their thoughts as they ate and drank. With Bloom quietly lapping from the bowel in front of her, Faragonda picked at the salad she'd made herself, distracted by her thoughts of the red head beside her.

"Ms Faragonda?"

Humming, the Headmistress turned in her seat, "Yes dea-" Her throat seized up at the sight in front of her, cutting off her voice.

There, kneeling on the bench was Bloom, her long hair hanging freely over her shoulders, covering her- "Bloom!" She gasped, standing up from her seat, staring wide eyed at the naked girl.

Raising her hand to wave, Bloom quickly dropped it back into her lap, "Hi." She said shyly instead, cheeks flushing.

Not knowing what else to say to the girl, Faragonda just echoed the greeting in a whisper, "Hi."

* * *

A few minutes later, Bloom was standing behind a screen tying the sash to the silk robe the older woman had passed her upon teleporting into her room. Looking herself over in the full length mirror in the corner, she admired her reflection. Running her hand over the soft fur-like material around the edge of the robe, Bloom thought back to the last time she'd seen the article of clothing. On the curvy woman it looked spectacular. On her, not so much. Sighing, she turned and walked out to join the woman, talking as she went.

"So being me is only temporary?"

When no answer came to her question, she looked up, stopping cold. From her spot at the foot of the bed, Faragonda was looking at her as if she was her favourite dessert. As the darkening blue eyes trailed up the length of her body, she could feel her cheeks heat up as the blood rushed to them under the stare. _'I guess I look better than I thought.'_ Bloom thought as she fought to keep her breathing as normal as possible.

"Ms Faragonda?" She called quietly, unsure if she wanted the older woman to stop looking at her just yet.

It took a few moments, but eventually the Headmistress pulled herself together with a quick shake of her head and focused on the Earth fairy in front of her. "Sorry, what were you saying dear?" The question came out sounding breathier then she'd intended.

Smiling, Bloom felt herself relax, "I was asking about the transformation. You said it was only temporary."

Sighing, Faragonda stood up, "Unfortunately, yes it's only temporary. You'll change between being a cat and yourself as your body works the spell or potion from your system."

"So how long will I be..." Unsure of how to finish the question, the red head trailed off.

"I'm not sure, but considering how long you've already changed back, I should think that it would be entirely out of your system by tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow morning!" Bloom cried.

Smiling sympathetically, Faragonda reached out and pulled her into a hug; an action she wasn't planning on doing, "I know it's not ideal, but it'll be okay dear." The older woman promised, enjoying having the scent of Bloom surround her. Perhaps, if she was lucky, the sweet smell will cling to her robe.

Burying her face in the curve of the older woman's neck, Bloom held on to her tightly as her panic and annoyance subsided. Finally, when her heart rate slowed to a much calmer pace, Bloom pulled back, smiling slightly, "At least I get to spend my day with you."

Just after the words left her lips, Bloom started shrinking. From under the pile of silk, Bloom wriggled out with a pitiful meow. Crouching down as she laughed, Faragonda smiled at the put out expression on the small cats face. "Come on Bloom, I have a bit of work to finish up." She said, carefully picking her up before walking back out to her office.

* * *

Late that afternoon, just as the sun was beginning to set was the next time Bloom transformed. While it was expected, what the two women had not expected was that it would happen while Bloom was sitting in Faragonda's lap. It was quite the surprise having the young woman suddenly appear on front of her, but not nearly as surprising as the feeling of soft skin under her fingertips. Just moments before the Headmistress had been carefully running her fingers along the cat's spine, but now, her hand was resting against the small of her back, almost as if it belonged there.

For a few tense moments, neither woman moved, but rather stared at the other, waiting for them to make a move. Swallowing thickly, Faragonda dropped the pen she held, still poised over the paperwork, and brought her other hand to rest alongside her other one with a smile.

"Hello again." She whispered, running the tips of her fingers along the curve of the red headed girls spine.

"Hi." Bloom replied just as softly, bringing her hands up to rest against the older woman's shoulders.

"How do you feel?" Her concern was evident in the way she narrowed her eyes and searched the face in front of her. "You should eat before you change back."

Bloom frowned, "I'm going to turn back into a cat?"

Eyes softening, Faragonda rubbed her hand in small circles, "I'm sorry Bloom."

Sighing, Bloom shook her head, looking down, "It's okay." She whispered, idly playing with the collar of the crisp white shirt under her hands, "I just..." She sighed again, her shoulders dropping, "You're allergic to cats."

"I am."

Looking up, Bloom frowned at the older woman, her hands once more still on her shoulders, "Why are you doing this?" She asked, locking eyes with her, "If you're allergic to cats, why look after me while I am one?"

Laughing softly, Faragonda brought her hand up to gently caress her cheek, "Because I care about you my dear, I thought that was obvious."

For a moment Bloom didn't respond, but then her face lit up with a bright smile and Faragonda relaxed. Waving one of her hands, the robe she'd let the young woman borrow before came flying through the air, wrapping itself securely around Bloom.

"Come," The older woman smiled, "Time to eat."

* * *

Thankfully Bloom managed to stay human long enough to eat the quick meal Faragonda made her before turning back into a feline later that night. With a full stomach, Bloom found herself wanting nothing more than to curl up and sleep, so when Faragonda made her way back to her desk, she was a little disappointed that they weren't going to bed just yet. So with her tail dragging behind her, she slowly made her way over to the seated woman, meowing pitifully when she stopped at her feet. She felt far too heavy to jump up into the older woman's lap. It didn't seem to matter that she couldn't say so though, Faragonda just reached down and scooped her up, gently settling her on her legs before turning back to her work. Seconds later Bloom was purring as the hand began rubbing her stomach lightly, easing the ache and sending her to sleep.

The next time Bloom opened her eyes, the only source of light in the room was that of the lamp on the corner of the desk, illuminating just enough of the surface for Faragonda to see what she was reading. Standing up, Bloom arched her back, stretching out her muscles before turning around to watch her work. She sat silently, following the movements of the slender hand as it passed over the words on the page. It wasn't until the older woman turned the page over that Bloomed looked away, her bright blue eyes falling on the clock sitting under the lamp. In surprise Bloom let out a loud meow, her eyes now wide as plates. It was midnight!

Startled, Faragonda jumped. Looking down, she let out a breath of relief, "Oh Bloom, you scared me." She said, gently scratching behind re ears, "What was that sound for?" She asked, concerned that she'd somehow hurt her unknowingly.

Turning, Bloom lithely jumped onto the desk and sat herself down behind the clock, her front paws resting lightly on top. A low rumble sounded from her throat.

Looking from the somewhat annoyed animal, the Headmistress felt her eyes widen at seeing the time. She _had_ planned on going to bed at a decent time for the night since she'd figured Bloom wouldn't stop transforming till morning, but just like usual, she'd worked right through dinner and continued on well into the night.

Oh.

Looking back up at Bloom, she gave her an apologetic smile, but said nothing. She wasn't exactly sure what to say to the girl. She'd been working such long hours lately that she'd become accustomed to working through the night and going to bed when the sun rose to sleep for a couple of hours. It looked like that wasn't going to be the case that night, not with the way Bloom was staring at her.

"Shall we head off to bed dear?" She asked, even as she stood up.

Meowing, Bloom walked around to the edge of the desk where Faragonda picked her up, cradling her in the crook of her elbow as she walked towards the entrance of her rooms. At the sight of her bed, she fought the urge to just crawl in and go to sleep. She hadn't realised how tired she was. Shaking her head, she gently placed Bloom on the bed and walked to the dutches at the end of her room to retrieve a night gown for both her and Bloom. Draping the pale blue material over the changing screen, Faragonda smiled at the curled up cat.

"For when you change back again."

Bloom meowed softly, but otherwise didn't move from the spot Faragonda had put her.

"Is something wrong dear?" Faragonda asked, watching her with a small frown of concern.

Bloom looked around her, searching her surroundings.

Catching on, Faragonda gasped, "Oh!" She gave a soft laugh, "If you wish, you can sleep on the bed dear, just please not on the pillow."

Whiskers twitching, Bloom gave a soft rumble and padded to the other side of the bed where she settled down, her tail tucked tightly against her side. Shaking her head, Faragonda walked to her bathroom to get changed.

Coming out a minute later, she switched off the lights and slipped under the sheets, whispering a quiet goodnight to Bloom before falling asleep.

* * *

Waking with a gasp, Bloom sat up, her breathing coming in short, sharp gasps. Looking around her, she felt the tense set of her shoulders relax when she recognised where she was. Sighing, she swung her legs over the edge and stood up, looking over her shoulder to make sure she hadn't woken the slumbering woman with her abrupt waking. Seeing that she was still sleeping peacefully, she walked around to the screen, gently tugging the satin night gown down and over her head. As it settled over her nude form, she stretched her arms over her head, trying to work out the last few remaining kinks that had formed from the way she'd been sleeping. Dropping them back to her side, she moved back to the bed, slipping in beside the woman. Wriggling around to get comfortable, she was surprised to feel the sudden warmth of another body press up behind her. Smiling to herself, Bloom reached back and took hold of the hand resting on her hip, moving it to hold it to her chest. Moments later, Bloom was asleep.

* * *

Hours later, Faragonda awoke to a sensation she hadn't felt for many years; someone pressed tightly against her back, arms wrapped around her waist, holding her there. At first she froze, but as the memories of the previous day filtered into her sleep logged mind, she relaxed back into the hold, enjoying it for as long as she could before having to get up. Unfortunately it wasn't for as long as she would have liked, and she had to get ready for the day ahead of her. With a sigh, she carefully untangled herself from the girls' arms and moved to the bathroom for her morning shower.

Not long later the Headmistress walked from the adjoining room in nothing but her robe. It turned out her wish had been granted; it did hold Blooms sent. Smiling, she stepped up to her wardrobe where she picked out what she wanted to wear for the day after slipping on a pair of panties. Looking through her collection, she quickly found the blouse she wanted and pulled out the skirt to go with it. Turning around, she carefully laid out the skirt and top on her side of the bed, absentmindedly looking up to check on Bloom as she did so.

Still lying down, only now hugging her pillow, Bloom was staring at her with a smirk. Frowning, Faragonda looked down, wondering what the young woman could be staring at. It took her a second, but she finally noticed that when laying her clothes out, her robe had parted, revealing a fair amount of her cleavage to the Earth raised fairy. Smirking to herself, the Headmistress turned back to her wardrobe and removed her favourite white stockings from the drawer. Moving with deliberate slowness, she lifted her leg to rest her foot on the edge of the old chest at the foot of her bed and carefully rolled the material up her leg, nudging aside her robe to adjust the lacy band on her thigh.

She repeated the process with the other one and when she was happy with its placement, she stood up straight, fiddling with the knot holding her robe closed. Before anything was revealed though, she turned her back, letting the material fall open as she rummaged through the other drawer for a bra.

Once found, she let her robe fall to the ground, pooling around her feet. Baring her smooth, creamy back to Bloom, she didn't see the young woman sit up, now openly staring at her. Even though she knew what she was getting herself into, she still fastened the bra as quickly as possible, feeling rather vulnerable without a layer of clothing to cover herself. Without looking back, she moved to her vanity, sitting down to do her makeup for the day.

Since she wore minimal makeup, it didn't take her long to move on to brushing her hair back into her usual up-do. It was as she was slipping in her favourite hoop earrings that she finally noticed Bloom sitting up, watching her.

Turning on her seat, she smiled at the girl as she clipped her earring closed, "Good morning my dear." Eyes dropping to the bare shoulder of where the strap of the nighty had slipped from, she continued, "How long have you been awake for?"

"Not long." Bloom answered, even though she suspected that the older woman knew exactly how long she'd been awake for from the almost silent snort.

Shaking her head, Faragonda turned back to her mirror, double checking her appearance.

From her place on the bed, Bloom spoke up, "You're beautiful."

Looking back at the girl through the reflection of the mirror, Faragonda smiled but said nothing. She knew what she was and wasn't, but she wasn't going to burst the young woman's bubble. Instead she stood up, forcing herself not feel anything as the bright blue eyes openly roamed over her scantily clad body as she made her way over to where she'd laid out her clothes.

Being a creature of habit, she plucked the gold blouse from where it was laid out earlier and put it on, doing the buttons up carefully. Once done, she moved onto the deep purple skirt, but hesitated as she bit her lower lip and really looked at it. She hadn't worn it for a while, she wasn't sure it was going to fit.

Walking on her knees to the end of the bed, Bloom asked, "Something wrong?"

"I haven't worn this skirt for a while." She said by way of explanation.

Bloom frowned, not sure if she really understood what she meant by that.

Seeing the look, Faragonda sighed, lowering the skirt, "It might not fit."

"Is that all?" Bloom smiled gently, taking in the slight flush of her cheeks, "Why don't you just try it on?"

Feeling her cheeks heat up even more, the Headmistress avoided looking at the still smiling girl, "I don't want you to see me struggle with getting it on." She mumbled, barely loud enough for her guest to hear.

Forcing herself not to laugh, Bloom nodded slowly, and reached out, gently squeezing her hands, "Just try. If it doesn't fit, I promise not to laugh." How she managed to say that without laughing was beyond her, but she wasn't going to question it, not when Faragonda sighed and agreed. Settling back, Bloom smiled up at her.

Shaking her head, Faragonda bent and stepped into her skirt. Pulling the item of clothing up slowly, she hesitated when she reached her hips; this was why she didn't want to try it on.

"Go on."

Unwilling to embarrass herself even more in front of the young woman by doing the age old jumping dance to get into her skirt, she did the next best thing, she rolled her hips from side to side, slowly inching the material up each time. Later on she'll wonder why she didn't just go into the bathroom to avoid this embarrassment, but as she looked up at Bloom, the thought never even came close to entering her mind. Somehow without even realising it, her skirt slipped into place and all that was left to do was tuck her blouse in and zip it up. Doing so quickly, she was careful not to crease her blouse before reaching around to pull up the zip.

"Let me."

Looking up at the soft whisper, Faragonda searched Blooms expression, somewhat startled at the darkened gaze, but nodded none the less. Swallowing, she turned, allowing Bloom to reach out and gently tug the zip up, inch by agonising inch.

"Deep breath."

Pressing her hands against her stomach, the older fairy did as instructed and held it as the zip slid up into place. Once she felt the small clasp hook into place, she let out the breath and turned, coming face to face with Bloom.

"Well?"

Licking and then pursing her lips, Faragonda took a deep breath, "Well I can breathe, but I don't think I'll be sitting down today."

Before she could stop it, a snort escaped her. Slapping her hands over her mouth in case any others followed, Bloom looked up at Faragonda with wide eyes.

"You said you wouldn't laugh."

Lowering her hands to her lap, Bloom gave a weak smile, "Technically that wasn't a laugh."

Before she knew what was happening, she was flat on her back with Faragonda between her legs, tickling her. With shrieks of laughter coming from her, she almost missed what the older woman said as she attacked her ribs with her quick fingers.

"I'll give you something to laugh about."

Arms flailing weakly in an attempt to stop the slender hands, Bloom continued to laugh as the older woman found her most sensitive spots with an unnerving accuracy. With how hard she was laughing, she soon found herself gasping for breath, and pleaded for mercy.

Leaning on her hands, Faragonda smirked down at the panting red head underneath her.

Regaining her breath, Bloom smiled back, "Hi."

"Hello," The Headmistress chuckled.

"Come here often?"

Arching her brow, Faragonda tilted her head, "Not as regularly as I'd like." She whispered, her cheeks turning pink.

Feeling her own cheeks heat up at the admission, Bloom searched for any sign of deception, "Really?"

Faragonda nodded; sure her voice would crack under the strain of everything she was feeling. She had known Bloom and her had been heading to this, had been since their first kiss after the battle with the Army of Decay, but not once had she thought they'd be having the conversation while Bloom laid under her in nothing but a borrowed nighty.

Smiling brightly, Bloom reached up, gently cupping her still pink cheeks, "Come here." She whispered.

Letting the young fairy pull her down beside her, Faragonda waited for…she didn't know what.

"Are you freaking out?"

"I don't freak out." Faragonda argued, but at the arched brow, she relented, "A little."

Smiling, Bloom wriggled closer, "Me too."

"Why? Because your old Headmistress has taken a fancy to you?"

Even though the question was asked teasingly, Bloom could tell that Faragonda actually wanted to know. So, leaning forward, she brushed her lips against the half fairy's, sighing happily when she felt soft hands rest on her waist. "No," She whispered, pulling back, "Because I didn't really think you'd return my feelings."

"My dear," Faragonda sighed, "Your feelings are undoubtedly returned," She replied with a small smirk, leaning in once more.

While the kissed started off slowly, it soon heated up, reminding both of them of the somewhat frenzied time in the hospital wing. Hands roaming over the satin, Faragonda moaned as Bloom rolled over her, half covering her. Tangling one hand in the long, flame red locks, the older woman pulled Bloom closer, deepening the kiss. Pushing herself up, Faragonda manoeuvred them until she was the one on top, not once breaking the kiss. Moving her hand from her hair to her waist, she pressed the young woman flush against her.

Pulling back, just enough to see the other woman's expression, Bloom smiled, panting, "You're good at that."

Humming, Faragonda looked from the kiss swollen lips to the darkened blue eyes of her…girlfriend? "So are you." She whispered, pressing several slow, leisurely kisses to her lips and jaw, "So good."

Giggling, Bloom tipped her head back, letting her eyes close as Faragonda moved lower. "Why were you up so early?" She moaned.

Pausing mid kiss, Faragonda looked up at her, a small frown forming, "What time is it?"

"Five past seven last I looked."

Eyes widening, she sat up, startling Bloom. "I'm late for the staff meeting." She groaned, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed.

Sitting up, Bloom watched as the older woman once more struggled to put her shoes on. But this time she didn't offer to help, as she knew it would only further make the woman later. Sitting there, Bloom couldn't deny that she felt somewhat disappointed that she was leaving. It must have shown because Faragonda bent down and pressed a light kiss to forehead, whispering. "I'm sorry Bloom."

Shaking her head, Bloom smiled up at her understandingly, "You're the Headmistress of a school, I understand you're busy."

"Are you sure?"

Laughing Bloom nodded, "Go or you'll be even later."

Leaning down, she kissed her quickly before rushing from the room, calling over her shoulder, "We'll talk later dear."

Before she could say anything, the door shut and Bloom was left alone in Faragonda's bedroom. Looking around she shrugged and lay back down. She was going to get some more sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Spiked**

* * *

Standing back from the party goers, Faragonda surveyed the large crowd in front of her, smiling as a few of her girls ran past, all laughing now that the threat from Valtor was gone. She had noticed that almost immediately after Bloom had returned with the news of Valtor's death, the atmosphere had changed. Everyone relaxed, even Griffin, but Faragonda found herself still somewhat tense. She hadn't had a moment alone with Bloom since she'd been turned into a cat, and that had been weeks ago. She just wanted to make sure she was okay.

Speaking of, where was she? She hadn't exactly seen her since delivering the news either. Looking around the main hall, she searched for the young fire fairy. As each second ticked by with no success, the experienced fairy felt herself start to panic, something she rarely did. What if Bloom had been wrong and Valtor had survived? What if she had been taken? Pushing herself from where she was leaning back against the wall, she stepped forward to start searching properly when someone took hold of her wrist.

"What's got you in such a hurry?"

At the soft voice, Faragonda relaxed. Turning back, she smiled at Bloom, turning her hand to grip the smaller one, "Nothing." She lied, not wanting to embarrass herself anymore in front of the young woman. She'd done enough of that to last a life time with the skirt fiasco.

Frowning, Bloom pulled the taller woman closer, "Tell me what's wrong." She whispered, her voice pleading for her to be honest.

Smiling softly at the obvious concern, Faragonda squeezed the hand she held, "Nothing's wrong Bloom, not now anyway."

It took a second, but when Bloom puzzled out what she meant, she smiled and hugged her tightly. Holding her for longer than strictly necessary, Bloom breathed in the familiar scent of books and tea that she only associated with the Headmistress. Pulling back, she smiled up at the flushed woman, "Let's get a drink and go somewhere else," At the darkening cheeks, Bloom chuckled, "To talk!"

Feeling her cheeks heat up even more, Faragonda took the lead to the drinks table, "I know that."

Following behind her, Bloom laughed again, "Uh huh, you're cheeks prove otherwise." She spoke, her lips turned up in a smile as she poured them out a drink each.

Still blushing, Faragonda took the cup being held out to her, enjoying the way her fingers tingled from where they touched Blooms, "Thank you."

Turning around, the pair leant back against the table, sipping their drinks in a comfortable silence. For a few minutes they just watched as everyone danced. Even the witches had joined in. Smiling, Faragonda looked at Bloom, drinking up the sight of her. It was almost too much for her to handle. Swallowing, she stepped part way in front of the red head, drawing her attention to her, "I thought we were going to go somewhere," She licked her lip, "and talk."

Smiling darkly, Bloom tilted her head to the side, "Where do you have in mind Headmistress?" She asked innocently, running her finger around rim of her cup.

Blinking, Faragonda tried to focus on the task, but found herself unable to pay attention for more than a few seconds with each circle of the cup. "Let's just go and see where we end up." She finally whispered, looking into twinkling eyes.

Bloom nodded, "Okay."

"Okay." The older woman repeated, taking hold of her free hand, leading her from the hall.

She walked aimlessly, turning down random hallways when they could no longer continue going forward. Eventually they found themselves on the second floor main hallway, looking out over the courtyard. It was unusually cloudy, but the clouds were sparse enough to let the light from the moon shine through.

"I wish we could go star gazing." Bloom sighed, leaning up against the window.

Smiling, Faragonda copied her, casually taking a sip from the punch, "It was an enjoyable night." She replied, remembering the night clearly.

It seemed Bloom did too if the smirk was anything to go by. "You thought I was meeting up with one of the boys." She stated, holding her cup in front of her while her other arm wrapped around her waist.

Even as her cheeks darkened, Faragonda nodded, "I did." Licking her suddenly dry lips, she continued, "I was immensely jealous at the idea."

"I know." Bloom smiled at the surprised expression, "You didn't exactly hide it well," She said, stepping closer.

"Oh." Faragonda looked down, her cheeks now flaming. She really wished she'd stop embarrassing herself in front of the young fairy.

Chuckling, Bloom took her drink from her hand and put it on the windowsill with her own. Looking back up at the still flushed woman, she smiled, reaching out to touch the hot cheek, "You blush a lot, you know." She said softly, gently tracing the tips of her fingers along the bone.

"Only when around you," The older fairy whispered, swallowing around the lump in her throat.

"Oh? Why only around me?" Bloom asked, slowly running her fingers down the swan like neck.

"I seem to be always embarrassing myself around you."

Slipping her hand around the back of her neck, Bloom gently scratched at the base of her skull, tangling her fingers in the lose strands of hair there, "What have you done that's embarrassing?" She asked, honestly confused to what the older woman could find embarrassing.

Faragonda looked away, "Many things."

"Tell me." Bloom ordered, pressing a light kiss to the pale pink lips, "Please."

"Bloom." She sighed, leaning forward to continue the kiss.

Before they could, the sound of laughter coming up the stairs forced them apart. Before she could really think, Bloom took hold of Faragondas hand and pulled her into one of the classrooms, closing the door behind them just as the girls stepped into hallway. Leaning back against the door, she waited until she couldn't hear the overzealous girls anymore before turning the woman beside her. Much like her, Faragonda was leaning back against the door with her eyes closed and chest heaving from the sudden rush to hide.

"Sneaking around in your own school." Bloom laughed softly, shaking her head at the absurdity of it.

Joining in, Faragonda smiled, "I wish I could say it was a new low."

Smiling, Bloom took her hands once more and pulled her further into the room, only letting them go to pull herself up onto the old desk. "Come on, you were going to tell me about what you've done to embarrass yourself." She said, gently holding out her hands for the Headmistress to take.

Taking the hands offered to her, the white haired woman stepped in between her legs, "Must I?" She questioned, searching the eyes before her.

Bloom smiled slightly and reached up to caress her cheek once more, "No, you don't if you don't want to." She whispered, smiling even more as the other woman relaxed.

Turning, Faragonda pressed a kiss to the palm on her cheek, "Thank you." She turned the hand over, pressing another kiss to her knuckles. Looking at the young woman in front of her, Faragonda felt her throat close up as her emotions bubbled to the surface. Unknown to her, she had started to cry, the tears leaving a wet path down both cheeks.

"Hey," Bloom called, reaching up to brush away the tears, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Faragonda answered, surprised that her voice was as steady as it was, "Why do you ask?"

With a small frown creasing her brow, Bloom wiped at the drops with her thumbs, "You're crying."

Automatically the Headmistress reached up, feeling the proof of Blooms words. "Oh!" She cried quietly, spinning around, "I'm sorry…I-I don't know what's going on." Raising her shaking hand, she covered her mouth.

Sliding from the desk, Bloom grasped her arm, turning her around to face her. When she refused to look at her, Bloom gently lifted her chin to look her in the eye, "Hey." She murmured, cupping her cheek.

Not sure what she was to say, Faragonda just whispered the greeting in return.

"Come here often?"

Half laughing half crying, Faragonda shook her head, "Not as often as I'd like."

"Oh?" Bloom questioned, smiling, "It's my lucky night then, let me show you around this fine establishment." Stepping closer, she waved her hand absentmindedly towards the back of the room, "Over there is a lovely map of something I've yet to pay attention to," Winking, Bloom wrapped her arm around the slender waist, "Behind me is a door, and over there," She moaned softly, "Just over there is my favourite spot. Would you like to see?"

Slowly Faragonda nodded, not sure what to expect, but followed the lead of the red head. When she pulled her in front of the desk, she had an idea of what was going on, but said nothing. As Bloom stepped into her space, her breathing picked up, the excitement of once again having her so close making her forgot about her troubles. Gentle hands rested on her hips, silently asking for permission. Without any hesitation, she nodded, not once breaking eye contact. Slowly, Bloom walked her fingers, unhurriedly bunching the material up as it was pulled higher and higher. When it was barely covering her modesty, Bloom smiled up at her and nudged her back until she came in contact with the desk. Not needing any prompting, she lifted herself up, sitting much like Bloom had barely minutes ago, her rucked up skirt allowing Bloom to stand in between her legs.

"This, right here," Bloom said softly, wrapping her arms around her, "Is my favourite spot."

"What, having me on a desk with my skirt pushed up?" The Headmistress whispered teasingly, winding her own arms around Blooms waist.

"Well," Bloom shot back, smirking, "It's an added bonus." Deliberately, she looked away and to where her hand now rested on the bare flesh, just above the lace top of her stockings, "Definitely a bonus."

With a shiver running down her spine from the light touch, Faragonda bit down on her lip, "For me as well," she purred, lightly touching her forehead to Blooms.

Smiling, Bloom closed her eyes, simply enjoying the closeness. Since she had been turned into a cat, and subsequently spent the night with Faragonda, she'd been all but craving to spend more time alone with her. And from the soft humming that now surrounded them; she'd say Faragonda felt the same. Looking at her, her smile widened at the sight of the peaceful expression. For the last few weeks, the older woman had rarely looked anything other than worried. It was a lovely change. Leaning up, she pressed a quick kiss to the unsuspecting lips, only pulling back because she couldn't stop smiling.

Opening her eyes, Faragonda smiled confusedly, "What was that for?"

"Just because."

Laughing merrily, Faragonda pulled her back in for a much longer kiss. While last time it was Faragonda who was the more dominant one, this time Bloom was taking control. Deft hands made quick work of the buttons of the crisp white blouse, pushing it aside to reveal the white lace beneath it before running her hand up and around her neck, pulling her closer to deepen the kiss. So lost in the pleasant sensations of being wrapped in the older fairy's arms and being kissed as though her life depended on it, Bloom missed the sound of giggling coming from the other side of the door. She didn't however miss the sound of someone gasping.

As if they'd practised the move, Bloom stepped out from in between Faragonda's legs as said woman slipped from the desk hastily pushing her skirt back down. Even though she was the shorter of the two, Bloom stood in front of the Headmistress to keep the new arrival from seeing what lay beneath her shirt. She figured from the light touch of fingers to her back that the Headmistress was forgoing doing the buttons up so to not draw attention to it.

Before any of them could say a word, another person rushed in, laughing, speaking louder then would be expected.

"Griselda, have you found a plac-Oh!"

Without conscious thought, Bloom's mouth fell open. Standing in front of them was Professor Elditrude, swaying from side to side with a large smile, beside an equally swaying Griselda.

Still laughing, just not as loudly, Elditrude tugged on the frozen Deputy's arm, pulling her from the room. "We'll leave you two to it." She called over her shoulder, walking off down hallway to no doubt find an unoccupied room.

Once they were alone, Faragonda took in a shuddering breath, "Oh goddess." Looking down at the young woman who now faced her, she held her cheek, feeling the heat of what she was sure was all her blood rushing to it, "I don't know whether to laugh or cry." She admitted at the look of concern that had taken up place on the red heads face.

Heaving a sigh of relief, Bloom reached up and took hold of her hand, lowering it to rest between them, "I wouldn't worry about them," She spoke soothingly, "I doubt they'll remember it tomorrow."

Faragonda frowned, "Why wouldn't they remember?"

Arching a brow in surprise, Bloom looked at her with a bemused smile, "It looked like they'd indulged in the punch quite a bit." Pausing, Bloom looked at the older woman thoughtfully, "Actually, how much of the punch have you had?" She asked a few moments later.

"Several glasses."

Eyes widening ever so slightly, Bloom nodded slowly, "That explains everything." She sighed, dropping her head, "I'm so sorry." She said looking up.

"Whatever for dear?" Faragonda asked, smiling in confusion.

Rocking back on her heels, Bloom bit down on her bottom lip, "You might be slightly drunk." Running a hand down the side of her face, Bloom sighed, "We should get you to your room."

Even as she did up her blouse, the older woman argued, "I'd know if I was drunk dear."

"If it had been from Magix, maybe, but if it was from Earth…" She trailed off with a sheepish look.

Looking up from her task, Faragonda stared at the red head with her mouth hanging open at the implication, "You spiked the punch?"

"I did."

"Why?"

Shrugging, Bloom looked away from the questioning eyes, "Riven suggested that everyone needed to loosen up, so while everyone was setting up, I made a quick trip to Earth."

"What am I going to do with you?" Sighed Faragonda, shaking her head.

"Let me look after you until you're better?"

For a while, Faragonda just stared at her, but eventually she huffed and her shoulders dropped, "How bad is this going to be?" She asked quietly.

Bloom grimaced, "It's not going to be fun," She tried to offer an encouraging smile as they left the room, "Look on the brightside, at least you're not Ms Griselda or Professor Elditrude."

Reaching out, Faragonda took hold of her hand, "A small concession."

Looking down at the hand holding hers, Bloom smiled. She had thought for a moment that she'd messed everything up, but looking at the tight grip, she knew she hadn't.

"We'll have to talk about this tomorrow dear, you do realise that," She nodded, "Right then, to my rooms."


	6. Chapter 6

**Switched**

* * *

On their way back to their rooms, the Winx found themselves talking about what they'd be doing after they graduated at the end of the year. Of course Stella was going to continue with designing while readying herself to take over the throne when her father decided to step down, much like Layla was. Tecna and Flora would be returning home to work with their parents and Musa was going to travel to broaden her horizon with other cultures music.

"What about you Bloom?" Flora asked, her gentle voice raised so the fairy further in front could hear her, "What do you plan on doing?"

Turning around, Bloom shrugged, continuing to walk backwards, "I don't know, maybe I'll go back home for a while and help out at the store."

Smiling, Flora nodded, "That sounds lovely, maybe you could bring your mum to Linphea."

"She would love that," Bloom laughed, "Just tell me wh-Oomph!"

While speaking, Bloom had forgotten to check over her shoulder to make sure no one was behind her. As such, she hadn't seen the Headmistress and Deputy turning from the adjoining hallway. It was only her luck that she'd managed to turn while falling, effectively knocking the wind out of both herself and Faragonda from landing on top of the surprised woman. Around them, the Winx stood laughing while Griselda folded her arms and stared down at them with a raise eyebrow.

Groaning, Bloom pushed herself up, "I am so sorry," She apologized, allowing herself to drop to the ground beside the other woman, "I didn't see you."

Pressing her hand to her chest, Faragonda tried to gain control of her breathing, "I do believe I've never had the wind knocked so thoroughly out of me Bloom," She chuckled, pushing herself up, "Are you alright dear?"

Bloom didn't respond to the question, she was too busy trying to stop the world from spinning around her. Closing her eyes, she focused on her breathing, hoping that the rolling feeling in her stomach would stop before she threw up what she'd just eaten.

Concerned at the sudden paleness of the young woman, Faragonda reached out, grasping her shoulder, "Bloom?"

At the contact, Blooms eyes shot open, everything snapping into to focus once more, "Yes?" She asked, sitting up, marvelling at the quick change in body, "I'm sorry," She shook her head, smiling at the woman in front of her as she stood up, "I'm fine, are you?" She asked, holding out her hand.

Nodding Faragonda returned the smile, though she was still concerned, "I am fine as well," Taking the offered hand, Faragonda stood up, brushing the small wrinkles from her skirt, "Actually Bloom, while I have you here, there is something I'd like to discuss with you, if you'd join me in my office."

"Of course," Bloom smiled, turning to her friends, "I'll catch up later."

Nodding and smiling, each girl continued on their way to their dorm, each wishing the teachers a good night as they passed.

"I believe I'll turn in for the night as well," Griselda spoke, drawing the other two's attention to her, "Good night Bloom, Headmistress." She nodded, turning to leave.

"And you Griselda."

"Good night Ms Griselda."

The two women watched her until she disappeared around the corner.

Turning, Faragonda smiled at Bloom, "Shall we, my dear?"

Returning the smile easily, Bloom nodded, "Let's go."

* * *

Later that night, when everyone was in bed, Faragonda walked into her rooms, heading straight for the bathroom. She intended on having a hot shower in hopes of relaxing her stiff shoulders. She'd been working non-stop since Bloom had left, which meant she'd been hunched over her desk reading and signing sheet after sheet of paperwork for the last four hours in a vain attempt to finish it before she collapsed in exhaustion. She'd finally decided to call it quits for the night when she felt the world around her tip in the familiar sensation of passing out. So there she was, standing in the middle of her bathroom removing her clothes as quickly as she could without pulling at her aching muscles.

Shimmying out of her skirt, she worked on the buttons of her blouse. As she methodically undid them, she felt herself sway forwards, but before she could reach out to grab hold of something, her world turned black and she fell to the floor unconscious.

* * *

Across the school, Bloom sprang up from her sleep gasping. Seconds later her eyes rolled back and she fell back onto the bed.

* * *

Sometime later, the woman on the ground started coming around. With a hand pressed to her head, she groaned as a dull ache pulsed through her skull. Opening her eyes slowly, she blinked quickly in hopes of clearing her vision, but when nothing changed she frowned. Patting around her, she grasped the small, cool glass that sat beside her and picked it up. Bringing it closer to her face, she squinted until she could see the small frames. More confused than ever, she carefully slid the glasses in place, reeling back when everything became clear. Looking around her, she felt her body fill with dread.

"Why am I in her bathroom?" She whispered, jumping when she heard her voice, "Why do I sound like her?"

Swallowing, she stood, careful not to look anywhere but ahead of her. Once standing, and sure that she wouldn't be passing out, she slowly turned and left the bathroom, heading for the screened off area. Not allowing herself to hesitate, she stepped around and in line with the mirror. Starring back at her was Faragonda. She was _inside_ Faragonda's body.

"Oh Dragons," She gasped, back peddling until the back of her legs hit the edge of the bed, "Ohh," She groaned, throwing herself back onto the bed with her eyes squeezed shut, "What am I going to do?"

"Perhaps you could put a night gown on."

Jumping up, she spun around at the sound of the voice only to come face to face with herself.

"I'm dreaming, that's got to be it," She muttered to herself as herself walked towards her, "That's the only reasonable explanation."

"Bloom," She said, holding out her hands, "It's Faragonda Bloom," She spoke gently.

"Ms Faragonda?" Bloom asked, her voice shaky.

"That's right dear."

"W-What's happening?"

Faragonda shook her head, the sensation of the long braid swinging from side to side distracting her for a second, "I don't know," She whispered, taking hold of the shaking hands, "But we will find out, I promise."

Nodding, Bloom looked down into her own eyes, "I'm freaking out," She blurted out, "I'm in your body, you're in mine. How does that even happen?"

"Old magic," Faragonda sighed, "Very old magic."

* * *

Sometime later the two moved themselves into the middle of the large bed. Bloom had finally put on a night gown like Faragonda had suggested, but found that the long slip wasn't made with sitting cross legged in mind and had quickly pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. Beside her, Faragonda sat with her legs tucked under her, much like she had when she'd visited Bloom at the end of the previous year. Since sitting down, she hadn't taken her eyes off Bloom.

"This is so weird."

"How so dear?" Faragonda asked, forcing herself not to smile as she watched her face twist into the pout she'd become accustomed to seeing on Bloom's expression.

"We've swapped bodies and all you can do is stare at yourself," She looked at her, but quickly turned back to starring at the wardrobe, "I can't even look at you because seeing myself is freaking me out."

Finally allowing herself to smile, Faragonda reached out and took hold of her hand, "I find it amusing to see your reactions in my body," She admitted, "I don't think I've sat like this in years." As she spoke, she gently ran her finger along her thigh and down her shin before resting her hand there. Looking up into the startled eyes, she smiled, "Even though it's my body, it's _you_ and nothing can keep me from seeing that."

Frowning, Bloom looked at the woman inhabiting her body, "Is there a chance you hit my head on your way over here?"

Laughing, Faragonda turned away and got up from the bed, lifting the blanket to slip under it, "Come on dear, we'll figure this out in the morning, it's time you rest."

Deciding not to argue, Bloom slipped under the covers as well, quickly finding her arms filled and with her own body pressed flush up against her. Blinking, she turned her face away, gently pulling the horned frames off and placing them on what she hoped was the side table.

With a devilish smirk, Faragonda pressed a light kiss to the exposed skin of her own chest, whispering a soft, "Good night," Before closing her eyes and falling into the land of dreams.

Shivering at the feather light contact, Bloom returned the sentiment, but continued to stare up at the blurry ceiling.

* * *

The next morning, soon after getting dressed, Faragonda sent a message to Griselda to come to her office. After helping Bloom with her usual skirt and blouse outfit, she found herself sitting in her office waiting for Griselda, leaving Bloom to finish getting ready. Without conscious thought, Faragonda started twirling a lock of long hair around her finger; she hadn't had long hair in years.

Just then, a knock sounded throughout the room, startling her from her thoughts. Clearing her throat, she sat up straight, "Come in!" She called, watching the door.

Walking in without any hesitation, Griselda came up to her and smiled at her, "Did you spend the night?" She asked, looking over her glasses at the red head.

Nodding, Faragonda sighed, "Yes, I thought it'd be easier."

Griselda's eyes widened in surprise, but she quickly composed herself and sat back in her seat, "Are you still nervous about being with Faragonda?"

Faragonda frowned in confusion, "Being with…"

Before she could say anything more, Bloomed walked out, "I don't know how you wear this every day, I can barely walk," When no response came, she looked up, surprised to find Griselda sitting across from her…Faragonda, "Oh good, you're here," She smiled, feeling somewhat less panicked about the situation now that the calm woman was there, "Has she told you what's happened?"

"I didn't get the chance to Bloom." Faragonda said, starring at Griselda, her voice devoid of her usual warmth.

Griselda felt her world tilt as Bloom, in Fargaonda's body, sat down while speaking, "Basically we've switched bodies and need help to switch back."

"Switched…bodies," She repeated quietly, looking between the two, "As in…"

Smiling, the woman Griselda had thought was Faragonda nodded, "As in, I'm Bloom."

"And I'm Faragonda," Followed the still cool voice.

Swallowing around the lump in her throat, Griselda whispered, "Oh dragons."

She'd done it now; either Bloom was going to kill her for her blunder, or Faragonda would never speak to her again.

* * *

After having explained everything that had happened to both of them in the last twenty-four hours, Griselda left with some small bottles of their blood to try and find the reason behind the body swap, or at least, the way behind it. They had agreed fairly quickly to keep it between them and the staff for now, not even the winx could know, lest they slip up and reveal their true identities to the rest of the student body.

Once the door shut behind Griselda, Bloom sighed and relaxed back into her chair, trying to roll her shoulders without wincing in pain as the tight muscles pulled.

It seemed that even against her best wishes, the flash of pain had not gone unnoticed by the other fairy, "Bloom, is everything okay?"

Not seeing the point in pretending anymore, Bloom reached up to right shoulder and rotated it once more, "Your shoulders are tense," She mumbled, "What have you been doing?" She asked, glaring at her own body.

"Working at my desk."

Groaning, Bloom allowed her head to fall back, "No wonder it hurts, you probably didn't move after our conversation last night until you went for a shower."

"Which I didn't have," Faragonda pointed out sighing, "I was hoping it could help."

Turning to face her, Bloom smiled apologetically, "I'm sorry for this."

"It's not your fault Bloom," the now shorter woman said, standing up, "I need to finish up my work from last night," Passing behind her, she paused, "Will you be able to entertain yourself without needing to leave?"

Looking up behind her, Bloom smiled, "Of course I can," She said, moving to look at the large bookcases lining the walls, "I think I'll start from the top."

* * *

The day passed quickly with Faragonda working and Bloom reading as much as she could in between her naps. At first Faragonda had been concerned that she was sleeping so much, but after the second nap, her worries had been put to rest with Bloom explaining that she hadn't slept well because she'd been so freaked out by the situation the night before. So now, as she watched herself fall off to sleep once more, Faragonda sighed and stood form her desk and walked over to Bloom intent on waking her. It'd do neither of them any good if she was to work Bloom's body to much and let the girl sleep on the small sofa.

"Bloom," She called, gently shaking the arm closest to her, "Bloom wake up."

Rolling over, Bloom opened her eyes, squinting in hopes of making the red blur above her come into focus, "This is ridiculously similar to what happened after I tried to access my Enchantrix the first time."

Not able to help herself, Faragonda smiled as the memory came flooding back.

* * *

 _Smiling understandably, Faragonda gently laid her hand on Blooms ankle where it rested beside her, "Bloom my dear, you just came back from Pyros, after which you went straight to the Omega Demention, what you need right now is to take a break with your friends."_

 _Without really thinking, Bloom sat back against the arm of the sofa, "I'd rather stay here with you," Seconds after speaking, her cheeks turned pink as she realised she'd spoken aloud, "I wasn't meant to say that." She whispered, her cheeks darkening._

 _Laughing softly, Faragonda gently rubbed the limb under her hand, "Well I'm glad you did dear," She smiled, "You can stay as long as you want, I'll just be doing paperwork." She explained as she stood._

 _Nodding, Bloom settled back down on the sofa, pulling the soft throw up to her chin. With a small smile, she watched the older woman work until she fell asleep._

* * *

"Better circumstances this time round though, even if we aren't in our own bodies," She mumbled with a small smile. Usually one of them was hurt for them to end up in a situation like this. _'Well,'_ she thought back to Griselda's first words, _'At least it wasn't a physical wound._ '

"What time is it?" Bloom asked, not seeing the change in the other fairy.

"Time for us to go to bed," Faragonda said, straightening up, once again retreating into herself.

"Oh," Bloom yawned, sitting up, "Okay."

With nothing else to say, the two made their way to Faragonda's rooms. Bloom, still half asleep, automatically changed into the night gown she'd worn the night before and slipped under the covers, while Faragonda stood just inside the room, watching her. Forcing herself to move, before it became obvious that she was starring, the Headmistress changed into the nighty she'd allowed Bloom to borrow each time she'd stayed with her. As she pulled on the satin slip, her mind turned back to what started all of this.

* * *

 _Leaning forward, she paused as Bloom's warm breath brushed over her cool cheeks. Humming inaudibly, she closed her eyes and closed the gap between them. Sighing quietly as their lips met, she felt her knees go weak. Daring to move, even if only just so, she memorised everything she could. Lost in the pleasant sensations, she slowly wound her arms around the red heads neck, holding her against her._

* * *

They're first kiss had been quite a surprise, but a pleasant one. It hadn't of been the passionate of kisses, but it sure had taken her breath away with its gentleness. It had of course been much the same for their second kiss the following year. As neither of them had commented or showed any change after the first, Faragonda had written it off as a once off comfort kind of thing and thought nothing of it. But after that, she'd grown to realise how much Bloom mean to her. Unfortunately before she could do anything about her new found feelings, she'd been trapped inside the tree, barely conscious of what was happening. When she'd been freed, and subsequently taken to the hospital wing, she'd been both delighted and concerned to find out that Bloom had stayed with her most of the day and some nights. It'd given her hope, as had the incident that followed after her release.

It was that memory, the one of their heated kiss that really stood out in her mind that night. With Griselda's words still circling her mind, she couldn't stop herself from focusing on the one detail that she'd managed to ignore. Bloom's reaction to touching her intimately; she'd physically retreated from her after that. While she didn't wish to force the girl, she was saddened by the idea that Bloom didn't wish to be with her like that.

' _Perhaps she doesn't want to be with you at all,'_ A dark voice piped up in the back of her mind as she slipped in beside the resting fairy, _'Maybe she's only doing it because you're her Headmistress.'_

Tearing up at the idea, she tried to think of reasons why that wasn't true, only to come with very few examples.

' _See,'_ The voice sneered, _'She doesn't, otherwise she'd use your name and not your title.'_

Opening her eyes, she stared at the ceiling above her, not wanting to accept the thought. She couldn't deny that Bloom only referred to her as Headmistress when in company, but that was to be expected, but as she thought over all the times she'd been alone with her, she came up empty. In fact, just the night before she'd called her _Ms._

"Bloom," She called, loud enough to wake the slumbering woman.

"Yeah?"

Still starring above her, Faragonda asked the question that had taken control of all her thoughts, "Why don't you use my name?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Need To Talk**

* * *

Sitting behind the large desk, Bloom looked over the office, wondering if she'd ever step foot in it again after she was returned to her body. Since that night, as Bloom had taken to calling it in her mind, she'd been wondering a great many things, most of all, why she hadn't said it back.

* * *

" _Why don't you use my name?"_

 _From where she still laid, head buried in the pillow, Bloom responded, "You never asked me too."_

" _I didn't think I'd have too!" Faragonda said, her voice coming out louder then she intended. Sighing, she pushed herself up, the long braid fulling back over her shoulder, "Why do you still call me Headmistress or Ms when we're alone?"_

 _Sighing, Bloom sat up as well, "This isn't just about how I address you," She stated as she turned on the small light beside the bed, "Tell me what's wrong."_

" _You're avoiding."_

" _Tell me what's wrong."_

" _Why are you here Bloom?" Faragonda finally bit out, having worked herself into a right snit about Bloom's avoidance of her question._

" _Is that a trick question?" Bloom frowned, "Because I would have thought it was obvious what I was doing here."_

" _I mean here, with me Bloom!" She growled, getting out of bed, "Why are you with me?"_

 _Blooms eyebrows shot up in surprise, "Because I care for you." She whispered, watching the woman pace, "I thought you knew that."_

" _I thought I did too," Faragonda sighed sitting back down on the edge of the bed._

 _For a few moments, they're silent, but then Faragonda looked up and out the window, "Are you only saying and doing these things because it's what you think I want?" She asked quietly, gripping the edge of the mattress tightly, "Or are you afraid of what I'll do because I'm your Headmistress?" Swallowing around the lump in her throat, she continued, her voice rasping as she held back tears, "I couldn't handle that Bloom, if you're only with me because you think I could harm you. I really couldn't."_

 _Now sitting on her knees, Bloom reached out, turning the older woman around, "Of course not, I'm here because I want to be, not because I'm afraid to say no," She spoke quietly, searching her own face for any sign, "Why would you think otherwise?"_

 _Looking down, Faragonda shook her head, "When Griselda first came in, she thought I was you and asked if you were still nervous about being with me and I…" Sighing, she looked up, "Don't you see, I love you Bloom." Faragonda cried softly, staring at the frozen red head with tear filled eyes._

 _Unable to move from the shock of the sudden declaration, Bloom didn't respond, but instead stared back at the expectant woman._

" _I see," She whispered, her voice oddly devoid of all emotion, "I apologise, I won't bother you again."_

 _Before she could say anything, Faragonda had stood up and left the room, leaving her alone, wondering if any of that really happened._

* * *

Sitting back in the chair, Bloom held her chin in her hand, her elbow resting on the padded arm rest. That had been two days ago and Faragonda had barely spoken to her since, only speaking to her when she had too, otherwise she hid out in the staffroom. Sighing sadly, Bloom wondered for the thousandth time why she hadn't just said it back. Before she could really turn down the sad path, the door to the large office opened.

"Griselda," Bloom greeted, watching the stern woman close the door, "Have you made any progress?"

Smiling widely, the Deputy nodded, "Actually, I believe I've found a way to return you to your own bodies," She said cheerfully, sitting down. When no loud exclamation came from the teen, Griselda frowned, "Is something wrong Bloom? I had thought this would be welcome news for you and Faragonda."

"I have no doubt Fara will ecstatic at being back in her body," Bloom muttered, refusing to look at her friend as her eyes started to tear up.

"Bloom," Griselda leant forward, "What happened?"

Shaking her head, Bloom removed the glasses she'd finally become accustomed to wearing and wiped under her eyes.

"Tell me what happened Bloom," The queen of detention ordered.

"She ended it, whatever _it_ was."

Sitting back in surprise, the brunette blinked repeatedly as she watched the other woman. Not for a second after Bloom had confessed everything to her all those months ago, did she think that Faragonda would ever do something like that. "Why?" She finally asked, her voice no louder then a whisper.

"I'm not sure," Bloom sighed, once again turning away from Griselda, "But she told me she loves me, and I didn't say it back, so I assume that had something to do with it."

Surprise coloured her once again, "She actually said it?"

Bloom nodded.

"Do you not feel the same?" The older woman asked softly.

She smiled sadly, "I do," She whispered, before sighing, "I just wanted to wait before saying anything."

"Wait? For what?"

Looking at her, the glasses she wore doing nothing to hide the tears that had steadily been building, Bloom answered, "To talk about where this was going."

* * *

Later that day, Bloom stood beside Griselda waiting for Faragonda to arrive. They had spent most of the time talking, well, Bloom spent most of the time talking while Griselda listened and occasionally gave her opinion on the subject. The thing that struck Griselda the most was that Bloom still referred to her by her title when speaking about her or to her, when in their talks, she'd taken to calling her Fara. From what she understood, everything that had happened that night had been because of a simple thing, they hadn't talked.

As she was lost in thought, the Deputy didn't notice the door opening or the tense red head enter until she was standing in front of her with her arms folded.

"What's this about Griselda? I have things I need to do," Faragonda spoke, not looking at the young woman in her body.

"Griselda's found a way to switch us back," Bloom answered, her voice quiet.

Arching her brow, Faragonda glanced at Bloom before turning hr attention back to Griselda, waiting for her to say something.

"Indeed I have," She smiled, "However I won't be doing the counter spell until you two talk."

Both Bloom and Faragonda looked at the stern Deputy in surprise. From the corner of her eyes, Bloom saw Faragonda tense up, but that didn't stop the small flare of hope to build. Maybe she could fix this. As Griselda walked between them, Bloom gave her a small smile. Faragonda however did not.

"Griselda I am ordering you to return us to our own bodies," She growled, following behind her, "I have a school to run!"

"Not until you sort this out Faragonda," She said sternly, looking down at the red head, "I will run this school for as long as I have to Faragonda, because I refuse to see two people I care about hurt because of a ridiculous misunderstanding. Good day." And with that, she shut the door with a slam.

Back at the desk, Bloom watched Faragonda as she stood frozen to the spot, starring at the door. She waited for a few minutes, hoping that she would speak, but as time ticked by, she realized that if anything was going to happen it was going to have to be her to start it.

"When I talk with Griselda about us, I call you Fara," Bloom whispered, her hands clasped loosely in front of her, "I never used your name when speaking to you because-"

"Stop."

"-in one of our talks, Griselda told me that while it technically isn't against the law as I'm of age-"

Faragonda spun around, "I said stop!"

"-it could in fact cause problems for you if the wrong person found out that we are-"

"That is enough Miss Bloom!" Faragonda growled, marching up to her, "I do not wish to hear anymore."

"-in a relationship." Bloom finished, her voice never changing from the calm tone she had adopted.

For a few moments the two stared at each other, waiting for the other to respond, but when nothing changed, Bloom took a deep breath and jumped straight back in.

"You are my first real relationship Fara," She admitted, looking down at the still angry woman, "I don't know what I'm supposed to do in most situations and I have no idea about how I'm meant to act around you most of the time because to be honest all I want to do is hold you and never let go. I want everyone to know that I am with you and no one else, but I know that should that reach the wrong ears, it could ultimately end with you losing your job, and I don't want to be the cause of that. I love you and because of that, I will do _anything_ to protect you, even deny that I wish to spend the rest of my life with you."

"Why are you only saying this now?" Faragonda asked, her voice hoarse with supressed tears, "Why not two nights ago?"

Stepping forward, Bloom reached out, forcing herself to ignore the fact she was hugging herself, "Because you caught me by surprise and then you were gone before I could say anything," She sighed, "And as for why now, it became apparent that waiting until I graduated would have only made things worse."

From her place nestled in the curve of her neck, Faragonda spoke up, "Graduation? Why would you have to wait until then?"

Smiling, Bloom held on tighter to the woman she loved, "Because you can't get in trouble for dating someone who's graduated."


	8. Chapter 8

**Fara**

* * *

Walking amongst all the celebrating girls, Faragonda smiled and laughed merrily as she caught sight of Tecna being forced to dance with Flora. As she passed the drinks table on her way over to where the other teachers were sitting and talking, she gave the dark red punch a side glance, knowing that once again, Bloom had made the beverage alongside Riven.

' _No need for a repeat of last time,'_ She thought, grimacing at the memory of the wretchedness of the following morning, _'No punch for the night.'_

Unbidden the rarely active voice of her wicth half piped up, _'But if you do, Bloom will take care of you again.'_

For a second the Headmistress considered it, thinking of the constant kisses that were pressed against her face and hands throughout the day while she laid in bed in nothing but her under garments in a vain attempt to cool down. As she found out, she did not handle earth alcohol well. At all.

' _Then again, perhaps not.'_ The darker voice conceded.

Shaking her head at her own musings, Faragonda walked around the edge of students, trying her hardest not look like she was looking for one person in specific. Though she was. She just had to be caref-

"Looking for someone Fara?"

Spinning around, the Headmistress started denying the fact, but stopped at the sight of a laughing red head. Letting out a soft huff in mock annoyance, Faragonda placed her hands on her hips and looked down at the grinning woman, "Bloom."

"Fara."

Try as she might, she couldn't fight the smile that broke out. Nor could she stop the warm rush at the sound of her name falling from the dark pink lips of the woman she loves. "Bloom," She sighed again, instantly relaxing as the young woman wrapped her arms loosely around her lower back.

"Come away with me."

Eyes widening, Faragonda pulled back slightly, a questioning look gracing her expression.

"Please."

At the admittedly cute pout, Faragonda nodded, smiling when the red head pulled back and looped her arm through hers, gently steering them out and away from the crowd. Once away from the celebrators, Faragonda tugged on Blooms hand, stopping her for a moment.

"Where are you spiriting me away to dear?"

Looking over her shoulder, Bloom gave her a cheeky smile, "You'll see."

* * *

Sometime later, after stopping more often than not thanks to Faragonda's need to pull Bloom into not so quick kisses, the pair found themselves, once again, stashed away from the celebration. This time though, instead of hiding out in a classroom, they had ended up in Faragonda's office in much the same position.

"You do seem to like when I'm in this position," Faragonda whispered while smiling as Bloom gently helped lift her onto her desk, her skirt once again bunched high around her hips, "Though I do recall last time, there was more kissing involved."

"Mmm," Bloom hummed innocently, which quickly turned mischievous as she looked at kiss swollen lips in front of her, "And I recall your blouse being unbuttoned," Eyes flicking up, she gave a small smirk as her hands danced along the now exposed thigh, "Shall I give a repeat performance?"

Even as her eyes darkened, Faragonda shook her head, "Actually my dear, there was something I wanted to ask you."

Bloom stopped what she was doing, much to Faragondas dismay, and looked at her, her hands now resting still on her hips, "What?"

Wriggling around on her desk, Faragonda reached out to grasp Blooms shirt, pulling her back in close, "Teach with me Bloom."

Brows drawn in a small frown, Bloom searched the older woman's expression, "Are you sure?"

"Why wouldn't I be sure?" Faragonda asked, leaning back, hurt flashing in her darkened eyes.

Reaching up, the young woman gently caressed her cheek, whispering sweetly, "My darling, please don't misunderstand me, but I'm concerned."

"About what?"

"You."

"Why, nothing's wrong with me," Faragonda argued.

"I'm concerned that you haven't fully thought this through," Bloom explained gently, brushing her thumb along her cheek bone, "What if something happens and we're no longer together? What will you do?"

"Nothing will happen!" The older woman spoke venomously, "How can you say that?"

"Shh darling," Bloom hushed, still stroking her face, "Think about how things will change. If we argue or have a misunderstanding like our last, would you be able to work alongside me without any problems?" She shook her head when Faragonda went to talk, "Think about what you did last time, you refused to speak to me and avoided me."

Faragonda looked down, shame falling over her as she remembered how a simple misunderstanding caused her to mistreat Bloom, "I am sorry for that Bloom," She whispered, looking up, "I truly am, and if I could chang-"

Bloom shook her head, pressing a finger to her lips, "Hush darling, it's in the past," She smiled, lowering her finger, "But now you see what I mean. Would you be able to keep that outside of the classroom, should it happen?"

"Yes," Faragonda whispered, clearing her throat to say it once again, this time much stronger, "Yes."

Smile widening, Bloom leant in, kissing her quickly, "Good."

Kissing her back, Faragonda hummed happily, before pulling away, "Does that mean you'll teach with me?"

Laughing happily, Bloom nodded, a bright smile lighting up her face, "What do you think?" She asked, leaning her forehead against Faragondas, "Of course I will."

Releasing a soft breath of release, she turned her face up, brushing a soft lingering kiss, "Wonderful."

Pressing forward just a touch more, Bloom let out a soft hum, "Yes you are."

* * *

The next morning, Bloom rolled over with a drawn out moan, burrowing her face into the body next her. She wasn't sure what woke her but she knew she didn't want to get up just yet, so she pressed closer to warmth that surrounded her, sighing happily when two arms wrapped around her tightly, drawing her impossibly closer.

"Good morning my dear."

Mumbling a reply into the soft skin that was revealed by the low cut night gown, Bloom smiled as the older woman chuckled, the vibrations moving through her like a wave. When a light kiss was dropped to her crown, she turned her face up, seeking out a proper kiss.

Happy to oblige, Faragonda pressed a soft kiss to her bare lips, lingering slightly when she heard the happy hum come from the red head. Drawing back, she watched as the younger woman blinked, waking more fully.

"Hello."

Returning the smile, Bloom whispered, "Hi."

"How are you feeling dear?" The older woman asked, running her hand through the long locks.

"Good," Bloom sighed, "Happy."

"Yeah?" Faragonda smiled again, "Me too."

* * *

 _The End - For real this time._


End file.
